ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill on the Band’s Longevity: ‘We Still Love It’

ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill isn't the most-interviewed member of the band, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his share of stories to tell -- like the time he drove himself to the hospital after accidentally shooting himself in the abdomen.

Hill looked back on that incident during a recent interview with Classic Rock Magazine, saying, "My first reaction was: 'S---!' And then 'Ouch.' I couldn’t believe I’d done something so stupid. To this day, I don’t know how I could do it. But I didn’t really feel anything at the time. All I knew was that I had to get myself to a hospital straight away, so I got in the car and drove there. It was only when I arrived at the hospital that the seriousness of what I’d done hit me, and I went into shock."

Asked to put his finger on why ZZ Top has managed to remain intact for so long, Hill mused, "It’s a cliche and sounds so simplistic, but it’s down to the three of us genuinely enjoying playing together. We still love it, and we still get a kick out of being on stage. We also have enough in common to maintain a bond between us but sufficient differences to keep our individuality. And after all this time, we all know what winds up the others and what makes them the people they are."

Hill also waxed philosophical for a bit, describing his approach to life by saying, "I think life is there for you to grab it and be positive. Just look for the good everywhere. If you walk around expecting s--- to happen, then it will." And when asked what he can do that no one else can, he shrugged and offered a perfectly ZZ Top answer: "I don’t know. You’d have to ask other people. I like to believe that I play bass like Dusty Hill, and that’s something nobody else can do as well as me. I’m the best Dusty Hill I know."